Eurozone economic sentiment remains stable in July

BRUSSELS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The economic sentiment indicator (ESI) remained broadly stable in the euro area in July, according to an official EU survey released Wednesday.

In the single currency area, the ESI was recorded stable at 102.2, resulting from an improvement in confidence in industry and construction, which were offset by decreases in services, retail trade and among consumers.

Among the five largest euro area economies, ESI decreased in Germany and Spain, while it increased in the Netherlands, France and Italy.

In the wider 28-nation EU, economic confidence fell slightly by 0.6 points to 105.8, owing to worsening sentiment in the two largest non-euro area EU economies, namely Britain and Poland.

In June, ESI decreased in the euro area by 0.6 points to 102.0, while it remained stable in the EU at 106.4, compared with the previous month.